A new Bentley Continental GT has been unveiled in coupe and convertible formats, debuting a new plug-in hybrid system that allows Bentley to state that the Speed variant is the most powerful road-going car it has ever made. It’s hoping buyers will be so excited by this they won’t mind that the charismatic old W12 engine is no longer in production.
How powerful is the new hybrid?
The hybrid system is based around a new V8 petrol engine. It’s a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre unit producing up to 600hp and 800Nm on its own, and those figures are amplified to overall maximums of 782hp and 1,000Nm of torque when the electric motor - integrated within the casing of the eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox - is also working flat out. Bentley quotes a 0-100km/h time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 335km/h - though the open-topped GTC is a little slower, recording a maximum of 285km/h and taking 3.4 seconds to hit 100km/h from rest. Those figures are all the more remarkable when you realise that the coupe weighs 2,459kg and the convertible nearly 200kg more. Thankfully, it deploys all that firepower through the four wheels.
Any other chassis wizardry?
Quite a bit, yes. The all-wheel-drive system is augmented by an electronically-controlled limited slip differential on the rear axle and all-wheel torque vectoring. There’s four-wheel steering, too, an active anti-roll system and a combination of dual-valve adaptive damping and dual-chamber air springs. A new generation of stability control features a middle ‘Dynamic Mode’ for more rear-axle slip when desired and buyers can upgrade the standard brakes to larger carbon-silicon-carbide discs if they think they’ll need them. Bentley claims that the Continental GT is more comfortable than before in its comfort mode and has better body control than before in the sport setting.
Yet it can drive silently?
Indeed. The electric motor is rated at 190hp and 450Nm on its own, so it has no trouble shifting the Continental GT along. The battery pack - of which 22kWh is usable - sits behind the rear axle (to the benefit of weight distribution) and allows for an official electric range of up to 81 kilometres in the coupe (78km in the GTC). That ability means a CO2 rating as low as 29g/km and there are various settings for the system including charge mode, electric boost, regeneration braking and pure EV. It can even do up to 140km/h without using its engine. Recharging the battery takes as little as two-and-three-quarter hours on an 11kW AC charger.
Nobody will hear it coming...
Potentially, though if it’s painted in a colour as daring as the ‘Tourmaline Green’ examples pictured here, you’ll not go unnoticed. At a glance, the style of the Continental GT is familiar, though it is the first mainstream Bentley to use single headlamps since the 1950s, the new lights clearly inspired by those of the limited-edition Batur. They’re intricate in detail, an approach that has been applied to the rear lights as well. There you’ll find a subtly-integrated spoiler and not-so-subtle bumper with large, stylised exhaust outlets. A set of 22-inch wheels finish off the design, offered in a variety of finishes.
The open-topped GTC Speed is launched at the same time as the coupe. Its fabric roof can be finished in tweed and seven other colours, and it takes about 19 seconds to raise at speeds of up to 48km/h.
Anything new inside?
Inside, the Continental GT seats four in a cabin mixing quality, luxury and technology. A new 3d-quilt effect is deployed on the seats and doors and the former - 20-way adjustable - can now be upgraded to ‘Wellness seating’ featuring automatic temperature control and something called ‘Postural Adjust’. Fans of the Bentley Rotating Display in the middle of the dashboard will be glad to see it retained - now featuring a 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of a new electrical architecture - while there’s a new ‘Dark Chrome Specification’ covering the door handles, switchgear and other items, including the speaker grilles.
On the subject of which, an optional 16-speaker, 1,500-watt Bank & Olufsen sound system also adds illumination for the speakers. Just in case the 30-colour ambient lighting isn’t enough for you. Serious audio power is available in the form of an 18-speaker Naim system putting out 2,200 watts and featuring ‘Active Bass Transducers’ in the front seats. We’re not sure if the laminated front and side glass is to keep your choice of music in or noise from the outside world out...
Any word on Irish pricing?
As there’s no Bentley sales outlet south of the border in Ireland, there will never be official Irish pricing for the Continental GT. Nonetheless, it should be more affordable to import than before thanks to the ultra-low emissions rating, as that means VRT of just seven per cent. Giving you more money to spend on the expected Mulliner range of upgrades.